October 5, 2016 - PhoenixMD was selected to present in the Cascadia Venture Forum 2016 held in Vancouver on Oct 4, 2016. PhoenixMD was pre-screened and validated as one of the top investor-ready companies in the Pacific Northwest (British Columbia, Washington and Oregon). Dr. Sandra Dunn presented among angel inventors, venture capitalists, industry players and other ecosystem members in this premier seed investment forum for life science start-ups.

We would like to thank the Cascadia Venture Forum for this amazing opportunity and look forward to participating in future programs.

September 24, 2016 - PhoenixMD attended the 21st Annual Michael Cuccione Gala to support childhood cancer research. The Michael Cuccione Foundation has supported PhoenixMD since the beginning and continues to be a loyal supporter of our cancer research today.

To learn more about The Michael Cuccione Foundation and their mission in childhood cancers click here

June 7, 2016 - Phoenix Molecular Designs was selected as the winner of the Coast to Coast Competition at BIO2015, and gained the coveted presentation spot during BIOTECanada's Investor Summit in February 2016.

February 19, 2016 — Phoenix Molecular Designs was selected to present at Dose of the Valley in San Francisco on February 9th and 10th, 2016. Dose of the Valley is a two-day program organized by the C100, BDC Venture Capital and the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco. The annual by invitation-only event connects Canada’s most promising life science companies from biopharma, medical device and health IT sectors through roundtable discussions, industry-led workshops, one-on-one mentorship, an investor/partnering pitch session, and a networking reception. Out of 60 applicants across Canada, only 20 were selected to attend by a high-level review committee.

Silicon Valley in San Francisco represents a global hub for life sciences. With a significant presence of pharmaceutical companies, health care providers, and venture capital, this region holds tremendous opportunity for Canadian companies. This is a unique opportunity for innovative Canadian companies to engage with valuable industry contacts, gain visibility, and develop productive relationships within this top global innovation ecosystem.

“As a leader in cancer therapeutics, we are very pleased to have been selected to join this program and present innovative Canadian-developed technology,” says Sandra Dunn, CEO, PhoenixMD. The Dose of the Valley event connected PhoenixMD with large pharmaceutical companies, and facilitated one-on-one meetings. It provided exposure to venture capital and private investment opportunities. Finally, the Dose of the Valley created partnership opportunities with companies based in the United States and Canada.

June 9th, 2015 – The Vancouver Consular Circle (VCC) had a ‘meeting of the minds’ at Phoenix Molecular Diagnostics. The VCC has representatives from several different parts of the world and this meet was a great opportunity to increase awareness about the various kinds of breast cancer, its cure and Phoenix’s role in it.

The work you are doing at Phoenix is exceptional Sandi. You are an inspiration to us all. I am proud to know you.

At this informational lunch session, Dr. Sandra Dunn (Sandi) and her team gave the VCC a tour of the lab space where the cutting edge research happens. This was followed by a presentation, which was extremely informational and empowering. The presentation took them through the spectacular results of over 8 years of cancer research and study. It also outlined the evolution of cancer treatments, from traditional chemotherapy to targeted treatments, which is what PhoenixMD specializes in. The VCC was excited to learn that we are in the process of creating a personalized drug for Triple Negative Breast Cancer, the deadliest kind of breast cancer, which will be far gentler than chemotherapy while being more effective and potent. PhoenixMD’s strategy is to create the drug as well as the companion diagnostic test along with it. This will enable the drug to be given out to only those individuals who test positive for this specific kind of Breast Cancer. This makes the treatment highly targeted and personalized. The drug compound is currently being optimized and will undergo stringent testing before its release.

Top Insights from the session:

1.Breast Cancer is a global issue – 1.7 Million women are diagnosed every year and half a million women die due to this disease every year.

2.Unfortunately, breast cancer is on the rise. It is reported to go up by ~50% by 2030.

3.Despite the media, the cause of breast cancer is not typically due to a bad gene that is inherited. BRCA-1 mutations only account for ~5% of breast cancers. Lifestyle plays a role in Breast cancer. Eat healthy products that do not contain toxins, drink in moderation and exercise. However, the most important cause for Breast Cancer is DNA damage, which cannot be anticipated.

4.There are 4 different subtypes of Breast Cancer- some worse than the other. Each of them needs to be treated differently.

5.Early detection is still the best way to ensure recovery and rehabilitation. How can we ensure the cancer is detected early on?

a.Regular Mammography Screening: The current guidelines for Canada recommend a mammogram once every two years for women over the age of 50. For those with a family history, an earlier scan may be provided by talking to your family doctor.

b.Self-Exam: There is nothing more important than self-examination, ie.no lumps. This is extremely important, as you may detect something that even the mammogram may miss.

To test their knowledge on all that they had learned, there was a fun quiz, and they did extremely well! We continued the riveting discussion over a ‘healthy’ lunch from Peqish.

What we hope they took away is this: The need of the hour is advocacy. People need to band together, especially us women. We need to not only be aware but also build this awareness in our communities. We don’t all have to be scientists; we all have strengths that we can use to further this cause. We all need to be a part of this journey and do what we can to help.

It was a very beneficial visit and we are glad that the VCC will be a part of our journey towards finding an effective, targeted treatment for Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

November 29, 2012 - Dr. Sandra Dunn's team at UBC department of paediatrics simultaneously publishes data that corresponds with $2.5 million grant winning research at Swedish Medical Center identifying Disulfaram as having potential for brain cancer treatment.

June 5, 2012 - In research that has been labelled a 'game changer' in Triple Negative Breast Cancer treatment, Dr. Sandra Dunn's team at UBC identifies RSK as critical to the survival of TNBC stem cells that can drive disease recurrence.

June 5, 2012 - The game-changing research of CBCF-funded Doctoral Breast Cancer Research Fellows Kristen Reipas and Dr. Anna Stratford was published in the highly recognized medical journal Stem Cells.

April 27 2012 - The legacy of four year old Hannah Hatlen, who tragically succumbed to a rare paediatric brain cancer, lives on in the generous funding her foundation provides to aid critical research into related diseases.